


Who Would've Guessed?

by moonlights_glow



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, this is post-maeve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:34:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26826706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlights_glow/pseuds/moonlights_glow
Summary: Spencer is heartbroken over the death of Maeve, and when the newest member of the BAU reminds him a little too much of her, he doesn't know how to handle his emotions.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, The BAU Team & Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 67





	Who Would've Guessed?

“What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten all of us killed!”

“Reid!” Hotch yelled at Spencer. 

“No! (L/N) screwed up and almost killed us all!” He turned back from Hotch to you. “Your showing off put us all at risk! You were so eager to show that you belong here that you almost jeopardized the whole case! That shows you’re not ready to be here, to be a part of this team! You-”

You threw your go-bag into your desk chair and stormed out of the bullpen, blinking back tears. You heard Morgan and Garcia call after you, but you wouldn’t stop. You took the stairs down to the lobby, pushing through the doors and stepping into the cool night air. 

Hotch’s face was set in a deep scowl. “Reid. My office. Now.”

~

Your eyes were brimming with tears as you walked through the streets. You didn’t live too far, so you walked most days anyway. As you were walking down the street, you couldn’t shake the bad feeling you had. But you were too upset by what Reid said to listen. And that was your big mistake. 

Two thick, clammy hands grabbed your neck, and everything went dark.

When you woke up, your arms were over your head, and you couldn’t move them. You also couldn’t move your feet. A bright light shined in your eyes, blurring your vision.

“There you are. Now we can have some fun,” a gruff voice said from somewhere in front of you.

~

“You were  _ completely  _ out of line!” Hotch told Reid. “There was  _ no  _ call for you to talk to Agent (L/N) like that.”

“She put us all in danger! She-”

“And it’s my responsibility to correct her. We have all made dangerous decisions in this job. Do I need to remind you about Owen Savage?” Hotch sighed, rubbing his eyes. “This is because of Maeve, isn’t it?”

Spencer’s eyes darkened. “She has  _ nothing  _ to do with this.”

“I think she has everything to do with this,” Hotch said.

Spencer scoffed. “You know what? You’re not actually my dad, okay?”

“Maybe not. But I am your boss, and you need to listen to me.”

While Hotch and Reid argued in his office, Garcia stormed through the bullpen, making a bee-line for Hotch’s office. 

“Hey, what’s going on-” Derek started asking, but Garcia blew him off, “-Babygirl.” He looked over to JJ, and they shared the same concerned look.

Garcia pushed open Hotch’s door to see him and Reid in a stare-down. 

“Sir, I know I’m interrupting, but this is important,” Garcia said, her eyes shining with unshed tears and her voice cracking. 

The team gathered in Garcia’s office, where all across her computer screens was the same image: you. Beaten, bloodied, and chained to a metal bed frame against a wall.

“Oh, my god,” JJ said, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh, my god!”

Seeing you held captive brought memories back to Spencer. Memories he worked so hard to bury. Seeing your head hanging and your face bleeding reminded him of his time held hostage by Tobias Hankel. 

“ _ Anything you want to say to your precious team? _ ” a gruff voice asked, just out of sight. When you didn’t answer he said, “ _ Hello! I’m talking to you! _ ” The man came into view. He was wearing a mask over his face. He grabbed your hair and yanked your head back. 

When Spencer saw the bruises across your face, guilt settled in the pit of his stomach.

“ _ What about your leader, Aaron Hotchner? Hmm? Anything to say to him? Or maybe you have something to say to the boy genius, Dr. Reid. After all, he _ is  _ the one who drove you into my willing arms. _ ”

“ _ If you’re gonna kill me, just kill me, _ ” you said. Your voice was ragged and raw, not like the (Y/N) they knew.

“ _ Oh, no, sweetheart. I’m gonna have some fun with you. _ ” The man’s tone made Spencer want to throw up. The man walked up to what he could assume was the camera. “ _ You have 48 hours to find her alive. _ ”

The screens went dead.

~

“Garcia, try to find (L/N)’s last known location,” Hotch said after the team regathered their wits. “If we can find that, we can find where the unsub might have taken her. She can’t be far.”

“Uh, sir? Can we not talk about her like she’s a victim? She’s still our (Y/N).” Garcia’s voice cracked when she said your name.

Morgan wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. “She’s right, Hotch,” he said. “This is a personal case.”

“Which is why we need to distance ourselves,” Hotch argued. “We can’t let our emotions overtake us.”

Spencer was looking down at his hands. “It’s my fault.”

“Spence-”

“No, JJ. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t yelled at her, she wouldn’t have left, and she wouldn’t have been kidnapped. She wouldn’t be suffering right now if I didn’t let my emotions get the better of me.”

“Oh, Reid,” Garcia sighed, squeezing his hand. “We’ll find her.”

The team worked nonstop for almost 24 hours before Hotch forced them all to sleep. But Spencer couldn’t. He kept seeing your face, with your split lip and bruised eye. He sat at his desk, nursing a cup of coffee that had since become cold. 

“You know, that big brain of yours needs rest, too,” Rossi said, sitting down next to him. 

He shook his head. “I can’t sleep. I know what she’s going through, and it’s not something that’s easy to come back from.”

“The guilt’s eating you up, isn’t it?”

“It’s my fault, Rossi. She’s suffering because of me.”

Rossi sighed. “Reid. This unsub knows who we are, he was probably watching us. He would have taken her regardless.” He stood up, clapping Reid’s shoulder. “Get rid of the cold coffee and get some shut-eye. Rest that IQ up so we can bring her home.”

~

“Why won’t you just kill me?” you asked the man in front of you. He’d taken off his mask, and his face was just as ugly as the rest of him. 

“Oh, Agent (L/N). So naive.” He gripped your chin in his fat, sweaty hands, forcing you to look at his cold eyes. “It’s all about the game.”

You yanked your head out of his hands. “You’re going to lose.”

“Am I? We’re in hour 36 of 48, and you’re still here.”

He was right. You were starting to lose hope, but you refused to admit it to this man. And what was worse than losing hope? Accepting it. You were beginning to be okay with the thought of your team not finding you. 

“Now, why don’t we have some more fun?” The man smiled, showing his yellow teeth. You closed your eyes, bracing yourself for what was coming.

~

“Oh! I found her! I found her!” Garcia yelled. She jumped up from her desk and rushed to the bullpen. “I found her! Guys, I found her!”

“That’s great,” Morgan said. “Did you see who grabbed her?”

“I’m looking at all the security cameras in the area to try to get a clear picture of his face.”

“We only have 8 hours left,” Spencer said. “And we’re not any closer to finding this guy.”

“Hey, we’ll find her,” JJ assured him. “We’ll bring her home.”

“I got a facial match!” Garcia yelled. “Oh, thank god. (Y/N), baby, we’re bringing you home.”

Spencer felt both relief and dread fill him. He wanted you to come home, but he didn’t want to face you. Not after the things he said to you.

~

“Tick-tock,” the man chuckled, glancing at the watch in his arm. “You have less than an hour, sweetcheeks.”

You’d resigned yourself to whatever was going to happen. You’d lost hope hours ago.  _ They’re not coming, _ you thought. 

“Michael Weaver, FBI!” Hotch yelled as Morgan busted the door open. “Step away from Agent (L/N)!”

While Morgan cuffed your captor, Rossi untied your wrists. You collapsed against him, sobbing into his shoulder, both in pain and relief. 

“You found me,” you sobbed. “You found me.” Rossi gently shushed you, 

“We need a medic!” Spencer called. “Now!”

~

You’d suffered broken ribs, a dislocated wrist, a concussion, internal bleeding, and multiple cuts and abrasions, many needing stitches. You were on so many painkillers that you spent most of your time asleep.

When you woke up from one of your doses, you saw Garcia setting a huge gift basket on the table by your hospital bed.

“Penelope, you didn’t have to get me anything,” you said. Your throat was still raw from your ordeal. 

“Oh, you’re up!” she said. She wrapped you in a hug. 

“Careful, babygirl, you don’t wanna break her ribs again,” Morgan chuckled from the doorway. “How you feeling, kid?”

“Like hell.” You tried sitting up but groaned, clutching your side. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Well, the whole team chipped in to make you this gift basket,” Penelope said. “Let’s see, there’s wine from Rossi, candies from JJ and Hotch. I’m pretty sure the boys picked them out. Reid put in a few books. And I put in handmade soaps and lotions, some chocolates, cookies, and I picked out the card we all signed. Morgan bought the basket.”

You smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

“When are they letting you out of this joint?” Morgan asked you. 

“Not sure. I’m guessing when I no longer need morphine for the pain.”

“Well, you know we’re here for you, (L/N).”

“Thanks, Morgan.”

“We’ll let you rest. We just wanted to check in on you before we headed in,” Garcia said. 

~

“Hey, you’re back!” JJ said when you walked through the glass doors to the bullpen. Spencer’s head lifted up from his desk. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m ready to get back to work,” you told her, walking over to your desk. “Medical leave was  _ so boring _ . I watched all 10 seasons of  _ Friends _ . My mom called me about a million times a day,” you laughed.

“Well, we’re glad to have you back,” JJ said, giving you a quick hug. 

“Hey, uh, (L/N)?” Reid said, walking over to your desk. “If-if you ever need to, uh, to talk about what you went through, I-I know what that’s like.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Reid.” You got up and stormed over to the breakroom, leaving Spencer standing alone at your desk. He sighed and walked back to his own desk, flopping in his chair and running his fingers through his shaggy hair. 

“That looked rough,” Morgan said, rolling his chair over to Reid’s desk.

“What do I do, Morgan? I feel so… bad.”

“How about you start by saying ‘sorry’?” he suggested. “Actually say the words, it’ll get you farther.”

“She won’t even look at me,” he mumbled into his hands. He looked up. “Hotch was right. It was because of Maeve.”

Morgan sighed, leaning forward in his chair. “She’s not Maeve, Spencer. She’s (Y/N).”

“I know. But she reminds me so much of her. She’s strong, she’s fearless, she speaks her mind. She’s beautiful.”

“Ah. There it is.” Morgan clapped. “There it is.”

Spencer groaned. “Please don’t say anything.”

“Don’t worry, Pretty Boy. Your secret’s safe with me.”

~

Everyone else had gone home. You were still sitting at your desk. 

Rossi saw you sitting there. He walked up and rolled a chair over, sitting next to you. “What’s going on, kid?”

You sighed. “Reid was right. I’m not ready to be a part of this team. I’m not cut out for the BAU. I should leave.”

Rossi looked at you and leaned forward in his chair. “Do you know why Hotch and I chose you, out of about 50 other applicants?”

“To be an example of what not to do?” You slumped in your chair. 

“No. Because we saw great potential in you. We still do. I think, given time, you could be leading this team.”

You snorted. “Yeah, right, Rossi.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “When you first interviewed, you told us how hard you worked to make it to the Academy, and how you wanted to be a part of the BAU since you were 15. Are you really going to throw that ambition away because of something Reid said?”

“But he was right. I screwed up.”

“Let me tell you a secret about this job, (L/N). Everyone screws up when they’re new. It’s part of the job. Hell, I almost cost us a case when I came out of retirement. But what’s important is that you learn from that mistake, and you learn to do better.”

A small smile crept onto your face. “Thanks, Rossi.”

“Now, go home. Get some rest.”

~

The team noticed the change in you. You wore baggy clothes with long sleeves that covered your hands. Your temper was much shorter, and you snapped at people more than you used to. When you doubled up on hotel rooms, the girls noticed you wouldn’t sleep. You’d opt for yet another cup of coffee. 

When the team was on the jet returning from a case, Spencer saw you grab a mug at the kitchenette. The rest of the team was asleep. Spencer got up from his chair and walked over to you. 

“Hey, I need to talk to you,” he said. 

“What do you want, Reid?” You took a sip of the coffee before wrinkling your nose. “Ew, this is cold.”

Spencer looked down at his worn Converse before looking at you. “I’m sorry. For what I said to you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you said, putting your mug in the microwave. You slammed the door closed. 

“You know, I, uh, I know what you’re going through. So if you ever need to talk-”

“You know what, Reid? No, you  _ don’t  _ understand what I’m going through. You  _ don’t  _ know what that man did to me. So, just, drop it.” 

“You don’t sleep because you’re afraid that when you close your eyes, he’ll be there, waiting for you. You’re embarrassed by the scars he left, so you wear clothes that’ll hide them, even from yourself.”

You took your coffee out of the microwave. “Maybe you do know a little bit,” you said before walking back to your seat. 

~   
  


“You’re late,” Hotch said when you finally slipped into the Round Table Room.

“I’m sorry.” You took the only seat left, next to Reid. “I had a meeting, it ran late.”

“Well, just don’t let it happen again. Now, as I was saying, this unsub tortures his victims by electrocuting them.”

Spencer noticed your hands were shaking and your face paled as Hotch explained the unsub’s ritual.

“Hey, are you okay?” he whispered. 

“I’m fine,” you muttered. 

“Okay. Wheels up in 30,” Hotch said.

Spencer worried about you as he watched you join up with JJ on the way out to the bullpen.

~

Spencer was woken up in the early hours of the morning by the sound of you screaming. He grabbed his gun from the hotel’s bedside table and burst through the door that connected your hotel rooms. He looked around, but only saw you, sitting up in your bed, shaking. 

“Reid? What the hell are you doing?” you asked, your voice shaking. 

“I thought you were in trouble,” he admitted.

“Yeah, well, it’s just me.”

Spencer clicked his tongue. “Right.” He turned to leave.

“Wait, no, I’m sorry!” you said. “Please don’t leave.” You suddenly found the loose thread on the bedsheets much more interesting. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Spencer’s heart nearly broke when he saw your face. He tossed his gun onto the nearby chair. “Of course I’ll stay,” he said softly, letting his shoulders drop. He walked over to the bed and sat next to you. You had pulled your knees up to your chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” You shook your head. Spencer just wrapped his arm around your shoulder and said, “Okay.”

After a few moments of silence, you said, “I’m sorry.”

Spencer shifted to look at you. “Sorry for what?”

“For being so awful towards you. I just… I thought if I focused on being mad at you, it would distract me from-from thinking about  _ him _ .”

Spencer nodded. “I get that. When I was dealing with the aftermath of Tobias Hankel, I didn’t have the best coping mechanisms. I thought if I isolated myself, it would make things easier.”

You picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “How did you decide to stay? I mean, all these cases are so much harder, because I know exactly what they’re going through.”

“Well, I had a good support system,” he told you. 

“You mean the team?”

“Yeah. Garcia, JJ, and Morgan especially. They were there any time I had a setback.”

You were silent for a few moments. You chewed on your bottom lip before asking, “Will you be there for me?”

“Uh, of-of course!” Spencer said. “Of course I’ll be here for you.”

You rested your head on Spencer’s shoulder. “Thank you,” you whispered, taking the hand that wasn’t around your shoulder and squeezing it.

You and Spencer sat in comfortable silence before you fell asleep against his shoulder. It was the first time you’d slept through the night since returning home from the hospital.

~

The team noticed the change between you and Reid, of course. You and Spencer worked together without arguing and hostility at every turn. When the case was over and the team boarded the jet, you chose to sit next to Spencer and fell asleep against his shoulder.

The team didn’t say anything. At least, not until they got back to the office. 

While Reid was packing up to go home, Morgan walked over to his desk. “Okay, Pretty Boy, what’s going on with you and (L/N)?”

“What are you talking about?” Reid asked, putting on his satchel.

“Oh, come on, kid! A few days ago, she could barely look at you and now the two of you are cuddling on the jet?”

He shrugged. “We worked things out a few nights ago.”

“Oh, did you?” Morgan said, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows. 

Reid rolled his eyes. “Not like that. We just talked.” He turned to face Morgan. “You know, I didn’t think I would be able to get over Maeve. But (Y/N) made it possible.” He looked over to where you were talking with JJ and Tara Lewis. 

Morgan laughed and shook his head. “Man, I swear your eyes are heart-shaped right now.”

Spencer’s face turned red. “Shut up, Morgan.”


End file.
